This invention relates generally to the field of specialized contacts for interconnecting the centrally disposed conductor and coaxially disposed shield of a shielded cable to points on a circuit board of an electronic chassis having plural pairs of spaced male pin contacts.
Both shielded cables and male pin contacts therefore are well known in the art, and are used principally in connection with high fidelity transmission of digital and audio signals in the communications industry. Connections of this type normally provide for a pair of spaced male pins on the circuit board which are usually arranged in parallel rows, so that pluralities of shielded cables may be interconnected to require only a small engaged area on the circuit board. In recent years, the proliferation of large numbers of specialized integrated circuits has increased the density of connections on circuit boards to a point where space limitations require connections of the smallest possible overall dimensions which can be arranged in abutting relation, while permitting convenient connection and disconnection of an individual cable. It is known in the art to provide connections of rectangular or cylindrical cross-section, including a female contact surrounded by an outer sleeve-like element which electrically communicates with the shield of the cable, the outer surface of the sleeve being positioned to contact a ground pin or its equivalent, as exemplified in the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,814 granted Oct. 23, 1990 to John N. Tengler, et. al. While not without utility, such connections provide a relatively large exposed conductive surface which is grounded, and which may inadvertently cause the unintended grounding of connectors adjacent to the positioned conductors. Further, because of the need to provide manually engagable surfaces to facilitate engagement and disengagement, such devices tend to be of undesirable elongated configuration, and of relatively complex manufacture.
It has also been recognized as desirable to provide the equivalent of extending the braided shield of the coaxial conductor the entire length of the signal conductor, that is to say to the engaged area of the circuit board for maximum shielding effect, and the above mentioned sleeve-like element achieves this result. With the present use of ever higher frequencies for data transmission, this desiratum becomes of correspondingly increased importance.